Dear Geist,
Should I hire an editor before submitting my novel manuscript to an agent or a publisher? I can’t afford a big overhaul but I assume it will get a more serious reading if it is polished up.

Dear Writing,
Right you are—some editors are quite put off by small errors in spelling, diction, punctuation, etc., so if the small stuff isn’t your forte, get the manuscript copy-edited. As for the “big overhaul,” if you’re happy with the manuscript, we recommend you don’t seek a structural edit at this juncture, even if you can afford it. A publisher or agent who reads the manuscript might enthusiastically recommend a big edit that differs from the one you just paid hundreds of dollars for, and that would be a shame. (For a bit more on this, see the Geist Advice to the Lit-Lorn post
happy with the existing shape and trajectory of the novel, and you have gone as far as you can with revisions, you might hire an editor to read it and submit a reader’s report incorporating concrete suggestions.
—The Editors